Vyacheslav Volodin who is in India on an official visit was invited by Om Birla, speaker of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament.
"I would like to extend greetings and best wishes from our President, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Strengthening our cooperation with India is one of our key foreign policy priorities," Volodin said.
He stressed that relations between the two countries were built on the principles of friendship, trust and mutual respect.
"Cooperation between Russia and India has developed into a particularly privileged strategic partnership," Volodin noted. "Much of this is thanks to the ongoing contacts between the Russian and Indian leadership."
Volodin briefed Murmu on his successful meetings with the heads of both chambers of the Indian Parliament. All political factions in the State Duma agree on the need to build ties with their Indian counterparts, he said.
"It is crucial that the parliamentary dimension is effective, and that we can contribute to the development of our relations," Volodin added.
Murmu highlighted the special nature of the bilateral partnership and emphasised that the state’s leadership places the great importance on strengthening trade and economic ties, as well as expanding socio-cultural dialogue.
"I am glad that the interparliamentary dialogue between our countries is strengthening. There are regular contacts between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin," Murmu stressed. "We also have cooperation within the framework of the intergovernmental commission. This is a sign that our bilateral relations are very important to us."
She added that an essential part of the Indo-Russia partnership is understanding each other’s interests and priorities, which helps build greater trust between the two nations.
Murmu also noted that both India and Russia place special emphasis on cultural exchanges and the development of people-to-people ties.
"Recently, I opened a book fair in New Delhi, where Russia was invited. This gives Indian readers a wonderful opportunity to become familiar with Russian literature. We should encourage such cultural connections," she said.
Volodin has also visited the the World Book Fair.